NAATP Attendees Speak Out On Communication.
First, we’d like to thank the many amazingly dedicated people we had the opportunity to meet at the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) 2011 Conference, which represents nearly 275 not-for-profit and for-profit providers (free standing and hospital based programs, which offer a full continuum of care from outpatient, partial hospitalization and inpatient rehabilitation regimes), conference for their personal commitment to helping others fight for their freedom from addiction. As first-time attendees we left enlightened, inspired and humbled by their sense of “mission”.
Not surprisingly, communication with referral sources and families was the topic of conversation at the Connect for Behavioral Health™ booth. Here’s what the many attendees we spoke with had to say about it:
1) Individuals and programs are more inclined to refer to centers/programs that give them regular, proactive status updates on their referred clients/patients and are equally inclined not to give repeat referrals to those that don’t.
2) Whether the program is large, medium or small… regional or national in scope – regular, proactive updates to referral sources on the status of the referred patient/client are “infrequent at best”. Even updates a referral sources specifically request are too often long in coming (if they ever come at all).
What does “infrequent at best” mean? One very prominent organization candidly told us about a recent meeting with a group of their key referral sources. Otherwise happy, those sources described referring clients to them as “like sending them into a Black Hole”…
Even when they are appropriate, regular - proactive family updates are even rarer.
3) Programs believe that giving referral sources regular status updates is very important for their business and the patient/client but admit that it’s so time consuming (30-45min per call) it is too often ignored unless and until the referral source complains loudly or something “bad” happens.
4) Though giving regular updates to referrers is time consuming – not doing it is usually even more time consuming. We were told (several times) that the typical scenario goes like this:
· Hearing nothing, the referral source calls or sends an email asking for an update (sometimes repeatedly) but doesn’t get a response
· They then call the marketer to complain
· The marketer then spends the time they’re supposed to be using to market the program trying to smooth things over with the referrer and bugging the treatment coordinator or therapist to contact the referrer with an update
· The TC or therapist is too busy to have a 30-45min call right now so they put it off and eventually forget
· Still not getting an update, the referral source (now more upset) calls the marketer again and the cycle continues until the TC or therapist calls the referrer and has the 30-45min call or the referrer simply gives up in frustration
Clearly, communicating with referral sources and families is important for your business and your patients/clients and today there is at least one innovative solution purpose-built to help you do that securely, easily and efficiently.
We’d like to thank the many attendees who shared their time, insights and encouragement with us at the conference.
If you weren’t able to attend the conference and would like to see the Connect for Behavioral Health™ service we’ll be happy to coordinate a personal web demo for you and your staff. You can reach us at info@connect4healthcare.com
